People, Locations, Episodes

Hazel Harrison, Pianist and Educator born

Hazel Harrison was an African American pianist and teacher and was born on this date in 1883.

Portia Washington Pittman, Teacher born

Portia Washington Pittman was born on this date in 1883, in Tuskegee, AL. She was an African American musician and teacher, and the only daughter of Booker T. and Fanny (Smith) Washington.

Her father was the founder of Tuskegee Institute. After her mother’s death in 1884, Portia was cared for by nursemaids and two stepmothers. An accomplished pianist by the age of ten, she attended New England’s finest boarding schools, including Framingham State Normal School in Massachusetts in 1895, Tuskegee Institute, and, in 1901, Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Charlotte H. Brown, Educator born

On this date in 1883, Charlotte Eugenia Hawkins Brown was born. She was an African American civic leader and educator who founded the Palmer Institute (a prep school for African Americans), argued against lynchings, and was in favor of interracial cooperation.

Ernest Just, Biologist, and Collegiate Mentor born

*This date marks the birth of Ernest Everett Just in 1883. He was an African American biologist and educator who taught at Howard University for more than 30 years.

Joel Augustus Rogers, Anthropologist born

Joel Augustus Rogers was born on this date in 1883. He was an African American writer, lecturer, anthropologist, historian, journalist, and publisher.

The Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, a story

*On this date in 1883, we celebrate the opening of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute.  This was a school created during the Reconstruction era in America. Also known as Haines Institute was a school for Blacks in Augusta, Georgia. It was established by Lucy Craft Laney and named in honor of a benefactor who […]

Hartshorn Memorial College Opens

*The opening of Hartshorn Memorial College occurred on this date in 1883.  One of over 100 Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in America, this school started classes in Richmond, Virginia, until 1932, when it merged into Virginia Union University.   Hartshorn Memorial College was created as a college for the education of African American women.  The college’s namesake, Joseph C. Hartshorn, donated […]

Edward B. Henderson, Administrator born

*Edwin Henderson was born on this date in 1883.  He was a Black educator, coach, and pioneer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).   Edwin Bancroft Henderson was born in southwest Washington, D.C. His father, William Henderson, was a day laborer, and his mother, Louisa, taught him to read at an early age. He […]

Elder W. Diggs, Educator, and Officer born

*Elder Diggs was born on this date in 1883. He was a Black writer, soldier, and scholar. Elder Watson Diggs was born in Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky, the eldest son of three children. Diggs and his brother (William Ellis) and sister (Effie) were reared by their mother, Cornelia. He received a one-room school education in […]

Cecelia Cabaniss-Saunders, Administrator born

*The birth of Cecelia Cabaniss-Saunders is celebrated on this date in 1883. She was a Black educator and administrator. From Charleston, South Carolina, Cecelia Hayne Holloway’s father, James H. Holloway, was a school principal during American Reconstruction.  Cecelia Holloway graduated from Fisk University in 1909. She then attended Tuskegee Institute, receiving her Master of Social Science. Cecelia continued her […]

Nathan A. Murray, Teacher and Librarian born

*Nathanial Allison Murray was born on this date in 1884. He was a Black teacher and librarian. From Washington, D.C., his parents were educators Daniel Alexander Payne Murray and Anna Jane Evans Murray. His father, Daniel, was one of the first African American librarians for the Library of Congress and was considered a leading authority on the […]

Arkansas Baptist College is Founded

*The founding of Arkansas Baptist College (ABC) is celebrated on this date in 1884.  Arkansas Baptist College is a private, historically Black liberal arts college  (HBCU) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded as the Minister’s Institute, ABC was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. It is the only historically Black Baptist […]

Mary Edwards Hunter, Community Educator born

*Mary Edwards Hunter was born on this date in 1885. She was a Black teacher; extension agent, and women and children advocate. Mary Evelyn Virginia Edwards was born in Fitchburg, Alabama, the fifteenth of seventeen children of Elijah E. and Frances (Moore) Edwards. While still a girl, she became the bookkeeper for her father’s store, […]

Charles Brown, Teacher born

*Charles Brown was born on this date in 1885. He was a Black teacher and one of the founders of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Charles Ignatius Brown was born in Pittsburgh, PA. Census records show that his father was Rev. John M. Brown, and his mother was Maggie M. Brown. His father also lived […]

Mamie E. Spurlock, Educator born

*On this date in 1885, Mamie E. Scurlock was born.  She was a Black educator and business manager.   Born Mamie Estelle Fearing was from Washington, D.C.   Before managing her husband’s photographic studio, she taught elementary education in the D.C. District and Baltimore schools.   She married Addison N. Scurlock in 1925, beginning a 52-year association with Washington’s preeminent Black photo studio. The […]